Rajapaksa Concludes India Visit After Meeting Retd Army Officers
Rajapaksa stormed to victory in Sri Lanka’s presidential elections.
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Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday, 30 November concluded his 3-day visit to India following a meeting with Union Minister V K Singh and several retired officers of the Indian Army
On Friday, PM Modi had announced financial assistance of $450 million to Sri Lanka for development projects and to fight terrorism in the country.
Rajapaksa arrived in India on Thursday evening accompanied by his Secretary PB Jayasundera and Lalith Weeratunga, advisor to his elder brother (and former president), Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
He is on a 3-day visit to India till 30 November.
- Gotabaya is slated to attend a programme in Delhi on 30 Nov, and will leave for Sri Lanka that evening
- DMK Leader Vaiko and party workers staged a protest on 28 November, saying the Centre is “hobnobbing” with the Sri Lankan govt
- The trip to India is Rajapaksa’s first foreign visit since being elected on 17 November
- On 19 November, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar went to Colombo for an unannounced visit
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Sri Lankan Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa Arrives on Three-Day Visit
Newly elected Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived in the national capital on his first foreign visit after being elected to power in the island nation.
During his first visit to India, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was received by Union Minister VK Singh at the airport. Singh is serving as the Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways in PM Modi’s cabinet.
Last week, India said it is looking forward to working closely with the new Sri Lankan government and hopes that it will be able to fulfill the aspirations of the Tamil community in the country, reported PTI.
MDMK Leader Vaiko Stages Protest, Detained
MDMK leader Vaiko and his party workers staged a protest against newly elected Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Thursday evening.
"The government of Narendra Modi is hobnobbing with the Sri Lankan government. This is nothing but terrible betrayal of Tamils. Tamils in Sri Lanka are afraid and are in serious panic," he said, according to a party statement released in Chennai.
Fishermen of Tamil Nadu are repeatedly attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy, he alleged. "More than 580 Tamil fishermen have been killed in the past 30 years and their boats seized. Many more were put behind bars in Sri Lanka," he alleged.
The protesters were briefly detained by the police and later released.
Rajapaksa to Meet EAM Jaishankar, PM Modi on Friday Morning
Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at 9:45 am and PM Modi at 12 pm.
Later in the evening, he will call upon President Ram Nath Kovind.
Rajapaksa Meets Jaishankar
Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday morning.
Want to Take Ties with India to Very High Level: Gotabaya
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday said he would strive to take his country's relationship with India to a "very high level".
He also said both India and Sri Lanka need to work together on issues related to security and overall welfare of the people of the two countries.
Rajapaksa was speaking to reporters after a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Rajapaksa Pays Tribute to Gandhi
Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
Rajapaksa Meets PM Modi
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the duo will issue a joint statement later.
NSA Doval Meets Sri Lankan President
National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval called on newly-elected Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during which issues of national interest and bilateral cooperation were discussed, officials said on Friday.
They said Doval met the visiting Sri Lankan President on Thursday, soon after he landed here.
Issues of national interest and bilateral cooperation were discussed during the meeting, they said.
Rajapaksa is on a three-day visit to India as part of his first overseas tour after taking over the reins of Sri Lanka last week.
A Strong Sri Lanka in Interest of Indian Ocean Region: PM Modi
Issuing a joint statement with Sri Lankan President Gottabaya Rajapaksha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "The mandate given to you (Rajapaksa) is the expression of the ambitions of the people of Sri Lanka for a strong country. A strong Sri Lanka is not only in the interest of India but that of the entire Indian Ocean region.
PM Modi Announces USD 450 Million Line of Credit to Sri Lanka
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a financial assistance of USD 450 million to Sri Lanka including USD 50 million to fight terrorism after he held “fruitful” talks with the island nation's newly elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The talks focused on issues like fulfilling aspirations of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka, ways to boost security and trade ties and address concerns of the fishermen.
In his media statement after the talks, Modi said he assured Rajapaksa of India's full assistance in taking his country in the path of rapid development.
The prime minister announced a line of credit of USD 400 million for development projects in Sri Lanka besides granting a separate fund of USD 50 million to help the country deal with challenges of terrorism, reported PTI.
Gotabaya Rajpaska Invites Modi to Visit Sri Lanka
Newly-elected Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa , invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the island nation, saying India was a long-standing friend of his country.
Modi is the first premiere to be invited to Sri Lanka after Rajapaksa took over the reins of the island nation.
The Sri Lankan president asserted that his country's ties with India were multifaceted, with a priority given to security-related matters.